Chapter 1: The Importance of Your PhD Journey

Your PhD journey is crucial—not just for your supervisor's benefit, but for your own growth. This mantra has become a familiar refrain for me, much like a record stuck on repeat.

Regardless of whether you pursue your PhD locally or internationally, the emphasis should always be on making the experience worthwhile. A friend of mine, Shiv, recently completed his degree in the same department I did, and his path was anything but easy.

I was in my second or third year of my PhD when Shiv began his master’s program. During his first summer, he assisted my supervisor with some basic experiments to gain research experience. It was during this period that we became lab mates. While I focused on developing materials for my PhD objectives, Shiv was diving headfirst into the demanding realm of research.

Before long, we found ourselves spending long evenings together in the lab. Although his tasks seemed straightforward to someone seasoned, they were quite daunting for a newcomer. Shiv made a few mistakes, which understandably frustrated our supervisor, who had a reputation for being harsh and personal in his critiques.

Let me clarify: my supervisor was among the best mentors I’ve ever had. As a naive student, I often received the tough love I deserved. However, being reprimanded repeatedly was far from a pleasant experience. In retrospect, could my supervisor have approached things differently? Perhaps. Would anyone in my situation have a valid reason to reconsider their path? Absolutely.

Shiv, being just 22, faced a barrage of criticism that felt unwarranted. He worked tirelessly in the lab, and it was unfortunate that his efforts were overshadowed by the harsh feedback he received. After all, it was merely a summer internship.

This challenging experience later complicated his master’s thesis, as he was reluctant to work under my supervisor again. Unfortunately, our department lacked faculty specializing in materials chemistry. I couldn’t supervise him without a senior faculty member as the principal investigator.

In the lead-up to his final semester, Shiv dedicated himself to researching carbon dots. He immersed himself in understanding their synthesis and exploring their physical and optical properties, all while considering feasible applications with the limited resources available in our lab.

I even assisted him clandestinely during off-hours, helping him with experiments like running a microwave reaction on orange juice! We conducted various measurements, analyzed data, and refined synthesis protocols. Eventually, Shiv achieved promising results that laid the groundwork for his thesis.

However, he still needed a supervisor. He eventually found a professor specializing in the physics of material surfaces, although chemistry wasn’t his strong suit. They established a working relationship where Shiv would update his supervisor weekly, explaining his research and findings in detail.

Despite his challenges with communication—his English was not perfect—Shiv and his supervisor formed a strong team. Initially, the professor helped draft Shiv's papers, but as time progressed, Shiv took more ownership of the writing process. By the time he completed his master’s thesis, he had even published a paper and helped his supervisor secure a substantial government grant.

In the midst of this, we both had to navigate a department head who was particularly difficult. He harbored personal grievances against me and Shiv, regularly making life harder for us. Instead of nurturing the students whose work elevated the department’s reputation, he preferred to create obstacles.

“No, I won’t let you attend the conference in the US. Why? Just because I don’t want to!” he would say. But I found alternative funding to attend. “You can’t use the spectrophotometer. Why? Because I purchased it!” No issue—I collaborated with a researcher from IIT to obtain my measurements.

When Shiv faced restrictions in lab access, he sought external collaborations, which proved more effective than waiting for approval. While many of his peers were busy publishing review articles, Shiv was producing high-quality original research in top-tier journals, ultimately surpassing my record for the most publications from our department.

While I might jokingly call him a show-off, I am genuinely proud of his achievements.

At the core of your PhD journey is a commitment to make it meaningful. Focus on acquiring new skills, building networks, and becoming an expert in your field. Strive to become the best version of yourself.

In a light-hearted conversation recently, Shiv remarked, “Academia isn’t for me just yet. People want me to pursue a postdoc, but I’m ready to move on!” I reassured him, “You’ll excel in whatever path you choose!” And I am confident he will succeed, primarily because he truly made his PhD experience count.

Chapter 2: Overcoming Obstacles in Academia